


and i got you back

by embalmers



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Father/Son Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 02:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19075879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embalmers/pseuds/embalmers
Summary: “What… What was that just now?”“It’s Mithos’ memory. No… Our memory. From when Martel was killed.”





	and i got you back

Lloyd gave a quick tug on the other’s cape and smiled tentatively when he had his attention on him.

“Thanks.”

“What for?”

“You being back here again. There were so many times during all of this I could have lost you but now you’re back and I…. You could have decided not to join me again, you have a ton of reasons to not want to but you still did, even when you could have refused.”

“Lloyd that’s-

“No, wait, just let me say this please. You’ve always been looking out for me, all this time despite me never knowing or being able to thank you for it. If I’d lost you today I… But you’re here with me again and I won’t let you be alone in this anymore. I’m going to be looking out for you as well now, okay? I promise I’ll protect you like you’ve been protecting me.”

“Lloyd I...”

He took his hand in response and smiled up at the other.

“Kratos I-“

“How sweet.”

_That voice._

Lloyd whipped around, instinctively stepping in front of Kratos.

Genis was frozen, mortified behind a ghostly Mithos. The others were just as shocked to see the one they thought they’d killed standing before them again.

Mithos approached them.

“I think your body will do Kratos.”

Before Lloyd could react, Mithos was suddenly gone and he turned to see Kratos had moved out of his reach.

“Kratos!”

“Too late Lloyd. I’m leaving this filthy world behind.”

“I won’t let you! Not after-“

Kratos was gone... No. Mithos was gone. And he’d taken Kratos with him. He couldn’t touch him without hurting the other. Derris Kharlan was so close, the impossible made possible with the Eternal sword.

“Come on everyone. He’s on Derris Kharlan, we need to end this,” Lloyd growled.

The half-elf had such impeccable timing, showing up just as he’d promised he’d protect him. He’d failed already. Mithos would pay dearly if Kratos was hurt even the slightest.

 

 

“Lloyd slow down!”

_Not when he’s-_

“Lloyd!”

_I promised him. Just when I got him back I-_

A grip on his arm snapped him out of his thoughts. Colette was looking worriedly at him and the rest of the group further behind catching up.

“I know you’re worried but it’s okay. We’re here to help and we’re worried too. Mithos is using Kratos for his body, right? He won’t hurt him.”

He couldn’t take a chance like that.

“It’ll be okay. Just slow down a little.”

“Sorry. Let’s go.”

He tried his best to move at a slower pace, but Colette still found herself stumbling on her feet trying to keep up with him.

 

 

_Mithos stop this!_

“Why? Why Kratos? Tell me why I should stop this? My sister is dead, you betrayed me not once but twice, you snuck off to see that son of yours whenever you could find an opportunity to and as soon as it was convenient for you, you left me. I have nothing left now.”

To stand by and watch as Mithos ruined the world and more importantly himself along with it. How could Kratos forgive himself for allowing his companion to fall like this? For allowing himself to fall even lower by allowing this to happen in the first place?

“The seal doesn’t matter anymore now, does it Kratos? You were kept alive because of that before, but now? Your use to me has expired. I can kill you anytime. I’ll take Lloyd’s life first though. Using your own hands. Ah, a familiar feeling for you, I’m sure?”

Kratos had thought naively he could stop him before. He was proven wrong at the cost of both Anna and Lloyd’s life and taught a firm lesson in compromise.

Things had changed now though. Lloyd was alive. He had given him his hope back, shown him first-hand how compromise and acceptance weren't the only paths he could take. Cut him free from the cycle he’d been stuck in.

_I’m sorry Mithos, no one touches my family. Not you, not anyone._

 

 

“Get out of my body Mithos.”

“Urgh, he’s too strong, I can’t-“

“KRATOS!”

Lloyd sprinted over to him.

“Mithos get away from him!”

As soon as he was within reach, he clutched onto the other tightly and positioned himself so he was in between the two. He didn’t even notice his hands were trembling slightly as he gripped onto Kratos.

“How dare you give me orders!”

 

Lloyd’s world went dark and the fear that he’d lost him yet again begun to swell until he was greeted with a green haired woman lying dead in front of him. The scenery had suddenly changed too.

_But… Derris Kharlan? Where am I? Where's-_

“How could you?!”

Mithos was glaring at him with murderous intent as he gripped onto the woman like Lloyd himself had just been doing with Kratos.

“Human. Your kind must not be allowed to live!”

Yuan? Why was he aiming at him?

“How far are you willing go to control the mana?”

Lloyd whipped his head around and saw Kratos pointing his sword at him.

_No, no, no, not again._

“Dad!” he pleaded. 

“Lloyd. Don’t lose yourself.”

_That was Kratos’ voice… This must be…_

 

When Lloyd blinked and he was back in Derris Kharlan. Mithos was in front of him yet again however instead of the murderous glare, he looked frustrated.

Good. A taste of his own medicine.

“What… What was that just now?”

It felt so dreamy yet extremely real and raw at the same time.

“It’s Mithos’ memory. No… Our memory. From when Martel was killed.”

He only remembered how tightly he was clinging to Kratos when he spoke and looked down at him quickly.

_So that was..._

“Shut up! Shut up! Why do you interfere, the both of you! We both want the same thing!”

Lloyd felt like laughing. The same thing? Maybe before Martel was killed. Not now.

Mithos was starting to fade as he spoke but Lloyd didn’t want to let go of Kratos to pursue him.

“I just… wanted to save the world and my sister. To have a world where no one was persecuted.”

The words sounded defeated. Drained.

“You know that as well as I do, Kratos.”

Mithos was gone.

Immediately he drew his attention to his companion.

“Kratos are you alright?!”

He brought a hand to the other’s face; they had stopped trembling now the immediate threat was gone.

Lloyd looked him properly finally. He looked just as drained as Mithos. Seeing Martel again must have…

“I’m here. You’re okay.”

He couldn’t reassure him that what he’d seen wasn’t real. It might not have been for Lloyd, but to Kratos it was another trauma from his past.

“Lloyd.”

Resting his forehead on the other’s, he let out a breath. Kratos was alright. That’s all that mattered right now.

“He was going to use my body to kill you. I couldn’t let him.”

It was obvious he had taken Kratos’ body for personal reasons more than anything, to get to both himself and Kratos emotionally. It had worked well unfortunately.

In the memory, Lloyd had taken the place of Martel’s murderer. Mithos had managed to get Kratos to turn his blade on him one final time it seemed.

“It’s alright. It didn’t happen. I don’t know what he said to you or what happened while you were here but, we’re going to stop him together. Once and for all. No one takes my… you away from me. He interrupted me when I was trying to have a moment with you as well!”

Kratos smiled fondly at the last comment and moved to stand up.

“Thank you, Lloyd. I was saved by you yet again. Come on, we need to find the others.”

 

 

“By the way, while we’re alone...”

“Hm?”

"Sorry if I was holding too tight back there!”

“Even I could feel that grip and I have dulled physical pain. If it were anyone else, I’m sure you’d have bruised them with how tight that was.”

“Hehe, just be lucky you’re the only one who gets that privilege then.”

 

 

They had defeated Mithos. He’d chosen his sister over the world. That he’d follow the same path each and every time.

Lloyd knew he might have followed Mithos’ example if the same fate Martel had suffered were to happen to Kratos. His shadow. Maybe so. Would that make Kratos his Martel?

Now with Kratos away from any threats and the worlds reunited, if he held the other slightly tighter than normal, that was no one’s business but Lloyd’s.

 

 

“You know he’s always been like that when it comes to you but never to that extent.”

Blinking, he looked over at Raine.

“When Mithos had taken over your body, I’d never seen him that angry. Come to think of it, it’s always matters that involve you that stir up his emotions.”

“I’m sure if it were any one of you in my position back then, he’d have reacted the same way,” he responded quickly. There really was nothing deeper to it than that.

“I wonder.”

 

 

Nothing deeper than that was still nothing deeper as Lloyd held him tighter at night, tucked himself closer to his side at any opportunity he could or stood in between strangers who got too close.

Kratos couldn’t say anything though. He was guilty of the exact same. 

**Author's Note:**

> kratos is literally the only character who cannot have his body taken over by mithos (aside from lloyd ofc even though mithos does try to take his. which i actually forgot about when writing this... woops)  
> kratos route forces it to be colette by default (yes i know its cause we need kratos for the material blades creation scene but… listen)  
> tell me symphonia, are you saying mithos wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to end kralloyd rights once and for all by taking over the body of the guy who betrayed him not once but twice, ghosts him on his coffee breaks to go see his son and help him out secretly and then went traitor to go incest with his son?
> 
> yeah so this is pretty bad. i had to make some adjustments so it meant lloyd and co could still get to derris kharlan and go save kratos whereas if hed been taken over at the time when the soulmate usually is taken over by mithos… he wouldnt of been able to cause no material blades aka no getting to derris kharlan. go with it.. if its a bit janky im sorry, ive never rewritten/changed a scene before like this
> 
> again i have no one who checks these for spelling/grammar errors, so sorry for any  
> thanks for reading!


End file.
